


New Traditions

by littletechiebird



Category: Avengers (Comic), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-30
Updated: 2012-03-30
Packaged: 2017-11-02 18:37:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/372090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littletechiebird/pseuds/littletechiebird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New Years seems to be Tony Stark’s Christmas, so to speak, and Christmas traditions have no place. Steve feels that this is just something that has to change. Christmas is the best time of year, and he’ll show Tony some simple traditions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Traditions

“Tony, how do  _you_  celebrate Christmas?”

The man paused in his work, which was manipulating one of the many holograms he had up. “Send out a few donations, gifts to the employees of the company, and our partners.”

For a moment, Steve was taken aback, looking at Tony as if he had suddenly said something in a foreign language. “Tony, that isn’t celebrating.” 

“Okay. Then I guess I don’t.” There was going to be no argument from him, as it wasn’t really a topic he cared much for. He just continued with his eyes on his work, his expression showing his extreme focus. 

Steve just sighed, shaking his head. He seemed disappointed. Not celebrating Christmas? That just didn’t seem right. Everyone had to celebrate some holiday, but he knew Tony wouldn’t be one for Hanukkah or something of the like. But he supposed it made sense. It was mid-December, and there was no tree, no tinsel, no wreath, no stockings, no lights. It had been one of the reasons why he asked. Not to mention he just.. wanted to know. He wanted to be a part of Tony’s holiday season, and it seemed like traditions had changed somewhat since his time.

Gosh darn, it was things like that which really made him sound old.

But he decided this just wasn’t acceptable. Did Tony know what celebrating the holiday was even like? After all, he’d seen that his father was pretty much a workaholic just like Tony, and had heard that it hadn’t changed after the man had been born. So maybe it was just that.. he’d not had a proper Christmas.

That had become an interest of his too, so he had decided to ask Pepper.

“Tony? Celebrating Christmas?” She began to laugh before just offering a sad smile. “No, Steve. I don’t think he ever has. He’s generous to many charities around that time, to his employees, and those that support the company, but other than that.. It isn’t as if he puts up a tree, or leaves presents under the tree.”

The way his expression had fallen brought Pepper to a deeper understanding. She knew what was bothering Steve about it, and that was one of the many reasons she knew this man was good for her friend. It made Tony a little less robotic, and made him feel a little more. Tony had a heart, but Steve made him feel it.

“Maybe he doesn’t know how. And maybe, well… he hasn’t had the right people to help him celebrate.”

Steve perked up a bit at that, as if there had been a challenge spoken to him that he wanted to take on. 

But where did he start?

It came down to the night of Christmas Eve, and he had not been able to drag Tony out of the lab. Then again, he had not been trying near as hard as usual. This was the one and only time that it was and would be working out to his advantage. He had spent the day, with the help of Pepper, cooking a full batch of Christmas cookies, setting up garlands and tinsel, having a tree delivered and then put up for them to decorate with lights and ornaments, and a star he had picked out specifically. It shone with gold, red, and blue. Of course, it had reminded Pepper of himself and Tony, or so she had said. That had left them with no choice except to get it. 

In his life, he’d had traditions. Traditions that his family had kept without fail, until his mother and father had gone off to war. Yet, he had still managed to keep them throughout his life. The tree, the lights, just the decorations in general, and presents beneath the tree by Christmas Eve to wake up to on Christmas Morning. It had been something in his life that made some of the best memories. Something that gave magic to every year.

How could Tony have not had that? He didn’t want it to be like that anymore. He could change that. He was changing it now, because he believe that Tony deserved  _better_.

Once everything was set, a platter of cookies waiting on the coffee table with two glasses of milk, the fireplace going, and the tree lit. It was perfect. It was picturesque, and the perfect image of what anyone would want and hope for.

Grinning from ear to ear, he turned to Pepper who was clearly pleased with his expression. “It’s wonderful, Steve. You really pulled it together.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you, Pepper.”

“I’ll leave the hard part to you. Have fun getting our boy out of the lab.”

Patting his shoulder, she flashed a smile and turned to leave without another word. He sighed and laughed a bit to himself. She was right. How was he going to get Tony out of the lab? He wished there was a special button that could eject him from it. He wondered if he could get someone to help him make that, and if JARVIS would comply..

Nonetheless, he could do nothing about it in that moment. So he made his way down, typing in his passcode to gain access as the door slid open to allow him entrance. Tony had not moved, he was still studying page after page of information while he manipulated a hologram blueprint. He couldn’t tell what it was in the least, but that wasn’t a concern for the moment either. 

“Tony.”

There was no response. Nice. Ignoring him on Christmas Eve? Though it was more likely that he honestly hadn’t heard him in the least.

“ _Tony._ ”

“Working.”

Really? He hadn’t noticed. 

“Tony, you have three options that I’ll let you know about. One, you can leave the lab with me now of your free will. Two, I can carry you out of here. Three, I’ll figure out how to get JARVIS to shut everything off for a while and still carry you out of here anyway.”

This brought the man to pause, and Steve earned himself a glare. He didn’t mind, he was still far too pleased with himself from the work upstairs to care. 

“I’m just asking you to take a little break, Tony. It’s Christmas Eve.”

An eyebrow raised at that moment, probably due to a bit of surprise since he didn’t keep track of the days when he was down in the lab, and maybe he didn’t even keep track of when Christmas was to begin with. Probably because, as Tony had told him once, the holiday he was most concerned with was New Years. It was the one that called for the most drinking on the occasion without a doubt. He shouldn’t have been surprised. New Years was the biggest party of the year - especially now, or so he had heard. And of course, with parties, you had booze. And Tony adored both. Having both being shoved into one, and having most of the world doing it all at once made it the best day of the year. 

He wanted to give him something better to look forward to. Parties and booze weren’t everything.

“Five minutes.”

Steve’s smile returned as a silent agreement, and he only agreed because he knew he would be able to extend that time once he got him upstairs. “Alright.”

Tony sighed and turned away from the monitors. And with a flick of his wrist, they turned off to a standby state. Steve returned to the doorway, opening the door for them both before they turned to ascend the stairs together. But as they reached the top, Tony stopped in his tracks. He was glued in place for a moment, and not even his head moved. His eyes flicked here, there, and were taking in every detail of the room. Steve moved ahead, going to the couch to pat the spot beside him. It took a while, a good minute or two, before he remembered the invitation to move. But he still hadn’t spoken.

Even as he came to sit beside Steve, who picked up their glasses of milk, offering Tony’s to him, he was without words. “Here.”

“What is this.”

“Its Christmas. Ours, specifically. Tree, cookies, lights, and all.”

“I… What.”

It was like a child who was filled with the wonder of Christmas for the first time and just couldn’t understand what was going on around him. He couldn’t see everything fast enough, and his eyes eventually came to focus on the tree and the presents below it. He stared at it for a long while, and then finally looked to Steve. 

“Merry Christmas, Tony.” 

A small smile - it was rare, but one of those that Steve really loved - was the response he got that time, some of the shock wearing off. He chuckled, trying to laugh off some of the awkwardness he felt. He wasn’t really sure what to do. But his eyes caught the plate of cookies that were to be coupled with his and Steve’s glasses of milk. 

“You made cookies?” 

“Pepper helped.”

An eyebrow raised at this information.

“I don’t know if they’re edible then.”

It was Steve’s turn to laugh. “Tony..”

But Tony was still smiling and he just leaned over, lips brushing against the other man’s who already tasted of something sweet.   
  
“Thank you.”


End file.
